The Interrogation
by ARosebyAnyName
Summary: An explosion rocked Goode High School during freshman orientation. Two teenagers were apprehended separately by the NYPD and were brought in for questioning. Quite unexpectedly, a different confession resulted from that interrogation.
1. Psychoanalysis of an Arsonist

**The Interrogation**

What if Percy and Annabeth were apprehended by the police as they were running away from Goode High School? Based on the first chapter of BoTL.

(Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any character based on the book series.)

**Chapter 1. Psychoanalysis of an Arsonist  
**

"Hey! You have a second?"

I was about to refill my third cup of coffee for the day when Rita from juvenile division shoved me a blue folder.

"You have something for me?" I must have muttered that under my breath because she just glared at me. What I probably meant by what I said was I found it incredulous that they have anything for me at all.

"Chief needs you to talk to those two." She was pointing to the blue folder in my hand. With that, she turned around and went back to her desk.

I just let out a sigh and went back to my own desk after refilling my coffee mug. I glanced at the clock and it's almost 5 in the afternoon. I slowly sipped my coffee and opened the blue folder.

***

My name is Alex Rose, PhD. I work part-time with the NYPD. I don't carry a badge since working at the 19th Precinct was not my day job. I am a Psychologist and I teach Behavioral Medicine at NYU. I have always been interested in criminal investigation but have not found any courage to join the police force myself. I prefer to work behind a desk to give my own psychoanalysis on some cases. Not that they needed me a lot but the extra pay was nice and I got to do something else rather than be home alone watching movies on my big screen T.V.

Most of the cases were straightforward. I just have to review a suspect's testimony and to give my opinion if it was credible or not. I would say that I did enjoy this type of work especially when they asked me on rare occasions to sit behind the one-way mirror in an observation room. Or like tonight, when they have asked me to interrogate suspects myself. This must have been a routine case or they would not have asked me to do it.

***

I started reading the first page on the folder. _Two teenagers were separately arrested after fleeing a crime scene. They were brought in for questioning about a school incident. Both of them were suspected arsonists in a school explosion. _

I didn't realize that my own view on life was about to go overboard in one night.

* * *

**Thank you for your kind reviews. Please don't forget to rate and review. It's my first fanfic you know. :)**


	2. The School Band Room Incident

**Chapter 2. The School Band Room Incident**

I knocked twice on the door and entered a square room with a table in the middle that has two chairs on each opposite side. The room was well lit and I was able to see clearly the boy seated on the far side of the room. He was probably not more than fifteen years old. He was looking down on his hands and I was not able to see his face. His hair was jet-black but disheveled. His white T-shirt was tattered and either torn or ripped apart in several places. He wore jeans that I cannot tell what shade of the original garment was. It was speckled with several colors that I cannot easily point out.

"Hi, My name is Dr. Alex Rose." He didn't attempt to look up as I sat across from him on the other chair. He seemed to be playing with a gold ballpoint pen in his hands.

Whoa! A pen? I have watched too many mobster movies when the thought of being stabbed with a pen crossed my mind. I quickly erased that thought. After all, he was just a teenage boy.

"Um, you might want to keep that in your pocket. I'm not about to ask you to sign anything yet." He stopped playing with the pen and shoved it inside his pants pocket.

"Great! We don't need any deadly weapons around here, right?" I made sure he could follow the playful sarcasm in my voice.

He looked up and I thought I saw a faint smile appeared briefly in his face. His eyes stared into mine as if he was trying to size me up like we were in a fight or competition. It was hard to analyze what he was thinking. I stared back and realized that his eyes were indescribably unique. They were deep blue-green in color but they changed hues when they reflected light. I started to feel dizzy as if I'm riding the waves on a boat. I averted my eyes from his gaze before I could be completely mesmerized by them. I then opened the blue folder clumsily in my hand. Thankfully, I remembered to place my recorder on the table and turned it on.

"Please state your name."

"Percy. Percy Jackson."

"How old are you Percy?"

"Fif… Fourteen. Well almost fifteen. It's my birthday in two months."

"You do realize that whatever you say is being recorded and can be used against you."

"Um… Ah…" I waited patiently for his full response.

"Yeah."

"Do you know why they brought you here Percy?"

"Well…" He swallowed hard before speaking again.

"I… No, We…They thought I blew up my school band room."

"Is that true Percy?" He looked down again as if the answer was written on the table before him.

"I don't know. I mean, it was not really me but … I don't think you will understand." I just shook my head. I have heard a lot of teenagers used this excuse before.

"Why did you think I will not understand?" I said softly, trying to sound sympathetic.

"You see things differently than me. You will never understand what I see from my own perspective."

"Why would that be?" Maybe a part of me wanted to believe that this boy might not be lying after all.

"I just know!" He sounded exasperated and annoyed.

"Well..." I sat back and glanced at the folder again before I continued.

"You were seen by more than a dozen witnesses, running away from your burning school with your girlfriend…"

"Who? What girlfriend?" He cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

"Annabeth Chase. She's your girlfriend, right?" I answered dryly, without looking up.

"She's not my girlfriend!" His voice was suddenly stern and angry. I looked up. His eyes were glaring at me and he was half-standing from his chair. Curiously, I must have struck a nerve. I made a mental thought of that.

"Alright, no need to raise your voice at me. I was just quoting a statement from one of the witnesses." He must have remembered what triggered that statement because he sat down abruptly and blushed.

"S-She's just a friend. No, I mean, she's my best friend." His voice was softer, like more of a whisper. He sounded like he was trying more to reassure himself rather than stating a fact.

"She was just on her way to visit me at school today." He said that as if he was regretting what had happened.

"Were you supposed to do something with her today?"

"We were going to watch a movie downtown after my orientation."

"Oh, so you have a date with her?"

"Date? It wasn't a date! I just told you she's my best friend! Jeez!" I noticed his knuckles were all white from clenching his fists on the table. For a second, I considered changing the direction of my line of questioning. But I just shrugged the thought and asked anyway.

"Do you know where she is right now?"

"I don't know. She must have ran away." There was a look of concern in his eyes I almost took pity on him.

"I hope nothing bad has happened to her." He quickly interjected.

"Why is that, Percy?" I now realized I did pity him. I thought he should be more worried about being a prime suspect for blowing up his school rather than worrying about his "_run-away best friend_".

"I'm just worried about her. I don't want anything to happen to her. I'm so sorry she ran away. It was my fault! I should have not talked to Rachel!" He really looked so helpless, my heart immediately softened.

"Who's Rachel?"

"She's just somebody I ran into, _literally_, last winter but I don't really know her and she had been hounding me since she saw me at school this morning. I didn't even know she went to the same school."

"Why would it be a problem to talk to her then?"

"What?"

"You said a while ago that you should not have talked to Rachel."

"Oh, that. I didn't want to be seen with her."

"Why not?"

"I told you already that Annabeth was going to meet me at school."

"Why would that be a problem if you were just talking to Rachel? I thought you and Annabeth were just friends."

"I didn't want Annabeth to get the wrong idea. Besides, I should not have told Rachel what she didn't need to know."

"And what might that be?"

"It's complicated. Just take my word for it. It's better that I don't tell you."

I have to admit that he has been more than polite to answer my questions without getting _too _angry or annoyed. This observation confirmed my gut feeling earlier that Percy Jackson must be a really nice person at heart.

"Tell you what. I'll go easy on you. Why don't you write down everything that happened today and then we can talk about it later when I come back. The sooner you're done, the earlier you can get out of here. How about that?" I took out a yellow pad from the folder and handed it to him.

"I need a pen to write." He asked sheepishly.

"I thought you have your own pen?"

"Um… that one does not write." I thought I saw him smile faintly again. What was that? Did he just roll his eyes at me?

"You better write your statement quickly because I'm coming back here in 30 minutes. Now get to work!" That caught his attention as he reluctantly took the pad and pen from me as I turned off the recorder and placed it back in my pocket.

_Juveniles_! I thought as I headed for the door.


	3. A Confession of Some Sort

(I finally got tired waiting for more reviews. This will be the second to the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this little slice of PJO.)

Where we are: Percy and Annabeth were caught and detained at the 19th Precinct near Good High School after the infamous band room explosion.

What happens next: Annabeth gets interrogated, of course!

Disclaimer: I don't own the PJO book series. Rick Riordan does.

**Chapter 3. A Confession of Some Sort**

I closed the door behind me softly as I entered the next room. The other room was similar to the first one except that a girl sat in a chair where the boy would have been. She was approximately the same age as the boy but she had her eyes on mine as soon as I stepped inside the room. She looked like she was expecting me to tell her everything that was happening. Her eyes were puffy and red but they were not the reason why I was immediately drawn to them. She has the most startling gray eyes I have ever seen. Nope, I'll take that back. I have never seen a pair of eyes like her. They were dark and stormy like an overcast sky in a thunderstorm. They seem to penetrate my gaze as if analyzing my brain or something. She has long blond hair that she has kept in a ponytail. She was wearing an orange camp shirt and jeans. She really looked stunning. I mean, for her young age, she was really breathtaking. I finally understood why the boy was so defensive about being with her. She looked like a young goddess and girls like that are very intimidating and hard to get. Girls like her have the luxury to choose who they want to be with. I should know. I have always envied girls like her. They always get what they want.

"Where's Percy? What did you do to him?" She demanded. Now, that was unexpected.

"Calm down, miss." I took my seat opposite her. That probably explained the eyes and the stare, I thought. She was worried about him. I found that very interesting.

"My name is Dr. Alex Rose. You have to answer a few questions first." I opened the blue folder again and turned on the recorder. I noticed that she was still staring at me, watching my every move.

"Please state your name miss." I was trying to be polite to a teenager.

"My name is Annabeth Chase." She answered matter-of-factly. "Daughter of Ath…" She stopped herself in mid-sentence. "What else do you need to know?"

"How old are you Annabeth?"

"I'm fifteen." She paused briefly before saying something again. "You looked pretty young to be a doctor." I was caught off-guard with the comment.

"I'm not M.D. I have a doctorate in Psychology. And I'm eight years older than you."

"Is that what this is all about? Did you think I need psychoanalysis? Did you think I'm hallucinating? Did you think I'm crazy? I'm not high on drugs you know. You mortals are all alike. You can never see clearly through the mist." I was surprised by her rant. Did she just call me a mortal? What mist?

"Err… I really don't know what you mean. I'm here to help you. I just need you to tell me what happened at Goode High School today."

She took a deep breath and sank back in her chair.

"I could never leave him alone for a single second and he's in trouble again. I was so excited to see him in school today and this was how he treated me. And to think that he told that mortal girl something that he was not supposed to tell anyone. What the nerve! I just wanted to see him again and wring his neck." She sat upright and looked at me. "Are you hiding him in this building?"

"Who are you talking about Annabeth?"

"Percy! Percy Jackson! Who else?"

"You did not answer my question about the school, Annabeth." I thought I would just ignore her rant and press on.

"Oh that question. How do I know? I was going to meet Percy at Goode High School when I heard an explosion and I saw him running away from the school. Oh my gods! There was this stupid red-head girl with him!" She buried her face in her hands. I could see that that she had been trying to suppress herself from crying. I was going to ask why she said gods but I just second-guessed myself. She already looked distraught so I didn't bother.

"Was there a reason why you were visiting him at school today?" I tried to lighten up the conversation to make her feel better.

"We were supposed to go out and see a movie downtown." She uttered that like a whimper. She looked up and there was sadness in her gray eyes.

"You mean like a date?"

"What!" Her gray eyes grew wide and her face was red. "It was not a date! Percy is my best friend!" I thought I heard that one before. I tried to suppress a smile. She must have noticed it before I could.

"You don't believe me! Gods! Why does everyone don't believe me?" She buried her face in her hands once more.

"Annabeth, can I say something?" I really felt bad that she had been placed in this situation. She just looked up at me and nodded yes. I can see that there were tears in her eyes.

"I don't think you have anything to do with what happened today. On the other hand, you sounded confused and worried at the same time as if you've done something terribly wrong. Yet I still don't think you're guilty of anything. What is really bothering you Annabeth?"

It took a while before she finally spoke.

"I-I just thought that Percy is my best friend. He would not do anything stupid like…" There was a long pause.

"Like what Annabeth?" I prompted her to continue what she was about to say.

"Like hurt me or anything…" She was starting to sob again. I finally reached forward and held her hand. She seemed to appreciate the gesture. I squeezed her hand to let her know it was all right. She must have understood what I was trying to convey.

"I don't think he was trying to hurt you Annabeth." A hint of a smile broke through her face.

"You think so?"

"I just know."

"Huh? Did you talk to him today? Was he really here?" I was surprised how easily she can read through what I had just said. I ignored her question temporarily.

"What do you really feel about him? And don't give me that _he's my best friend_ excuse." I just made her blushed again. At least she had stopped crying.

"I really like him you know." She finally admitted to herself. "It's just that I cannot tell him because I was not sure about it myself before. Besides, he does not like me back. I mean, not like I do. He is seeing someone else in school." Her voice trailed off as she said that. She looked down at her hands as if she's considering burying her face into them again.

"Annabeth, I think you are a very intelligent girl. It's just that boys are not the same when it comes to matters like this. They don't realize these things until we spell it out to them. They can be that obtuse sometimes. No, make that almost all the time. Trust me, I know." She gave me a look of understanding.

"Do you really think I should tell him that I like him?"

"It's a gamble but it might be the only way to make him express his true feelings for you."

"What if he does not like me back?"

"Well, there must be a reason why you and Percy like to do things together and why you miss him when he's not there with you. You both value your friendship and probably want to keep things the way they are because it's the safest thing to do. It is also understandable that you're both scared to lose it the moment that you finally admit to each other that you want to be more than friends. That kind of fear is normal. It is not being irrational. The fear of rejection is real and in most times, it is the biggest stumbling block that keeps relationships from going any further."

"Did you mean that I should not be afraid to express my feelings to Percy?"

"That is exactly what I'm trying to say, Annabeth."

"How come it hurts too much just to think about it?"

"Pain is a very strong emotion. Much like love. It simply overwhelms us, especially when we care too much." Her eyes lit up brightly when I mentioned "_love_" then morphed quickly to a worried expression on her face.

"Will it always hurt like this?" She asked innocently.

"Unfortunately it will, but not all the time. You're both young Annabeth. Both of you still have a lot of distractions around you. You will have so many choices to make and also so many worries to take. Life is like a vast ocean in front of you, sometimes quiet, at times turbulent…" I have to stop myself because she was suddenly giggling in front of me.

"What? Did I said something funny?" I thought I was giving her my best take on the many facts of life.

"It's just that it reminded me of a special someone by what you just said." Her gray eyes were sparkling with a twinkle now. I just thought I must have finally said something right.

"Well, you were right. He's here. He's worried sick about you. I think I need to check up on him again. Stay here Annabeth. I'll be right back." I stood up and I noticed that she stood up as well. She was beaming with excitement. To my surprise she went across to my side and hugged me.

"Thank you so much! You have been so helpful. I never thought I would enjoy spending time in a police station." Helped her? Did I?

Ah yes, young love! How could I forget? That's when I noticed the recorder was still on. Before she could notice it, I took the recorder and stuffed it back in my skirt pocket. She didn't need to be reminded of what she had just revealed today.

With a sigh, I went out the door and almost ran into Rita in the hallway.

"We just got a call about the incident in Goode High School."


	4. A Private Confession of My Own

**The Interrogation**

**Summary:** An explosion rocked Goode High School during freshman orientation. Two teenagers were seen fleeing the scene and were apprehended separately by the NYPD. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase had to answer questions from a Psychologist who works part-time at the New York City 19th Precinct. Quite unexpectedly, a different kind of confession resulted from that interrogation.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series.**  
**

**Chapter 4. A Private Confession of My Own**

_I almost ran into Rita as I turned into the hallway._

"We just got a call from the principal of Goode High School." Rita told me everything that happened at that school today.

Turns out that Percy and Annabeth were innocent after all. The principal of Goode High School confirmed that the explosion was caused by a fire bomb-throwing cheerleader. _And I thought "Bring It On" was a nasty movie on cheerleaders_.

"How are they doing?" Rita asked.

"Not too bad. I think they'll be fine. Rita, you better call their parents and let them know that they can pick them up here anytime."

"I already did. Mrs. Jackson had inquired about her son already. She's on her way to pick him up. I told Mrs. Jackson that the girl is also here and she said that she'll bring her home as well. Mr. Chase was totally fine with that."

"Great, I'll let them know that his mom is on her way. Thanks, Rita." I was about to go back to the room when Rita stopped me.

"What's with the stupid grin anyway?" I didn't notice that I was even doing that when I came out of the room.

"Nothing. I just thought about something that I should have done a long time ago."

"_Okaaay_... " She didn't buy that explanation at all. "You just seem to have that look as if you're thinking of something _evil _to do."

"Not really. I'm just relieved that I'm done with my work today." I lied of course. I obviously have other thoughts in my mind.

Rita just shook her head and went on her way. "Well good night then. I have some packages to drop downstairs in the mail room. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Rita." I watched her as she turned and disappeared at the end of the hallway.

I went to Percy's room first.

"Hey Percy, looks like you're not the school arsonist after all." He looked at me as if he already expected that. I told him about the phone call from the school principal.

"Am I free to go now?" He asked impatiently.

"Yes, of course. Your mom is on her way to pick you up. But first, please follow me. I have somebody who wants to see you badly." He stared at me suspiciously as I led him to the other room.

I opened the door and Annabeth gasped when she saw Percy behind me.

"Percy!" She stood up and nervously ran one hand through her hair to straighten up her ponytail.

"Annabeth! Thank the gods you're safe!" He ran towards Annabeth and they met halfway across the room. Annabeth did not seem angry at him at all. She just ran into Percy's arms and hugged him tightly. I heard faint sobs as she buried her face on the side of his neck.

"It's alright, Annabeth. We can go home. They found out that I didn't cause that explosion. My mom is on her way here. You can spend the night at our apartment then we can go to camp together tomorrow." Percy's tone was reassuring and seemed to calm her down. He had both arms wrapped around her while his hands were stroking her back lovingly. I noticed that they did not let go of each other's embrace for some time. I suddenly felt annoyingly invisible inside the room like I'm the fourth piece of furniture or something.

"I'm glad you're okay, Seaweed Brain." She finally pulled back and looked at him with a broad smile on her face. Her face was beaming despite the tears streaming down her red cheeks. _Seaweed Brain_? What a strange nickname, I thought.

"Me too, Wise Girl." _Wise Girl_? He gently brushed her tears away with one hand.

He looked into her eyes and she gazed back into his. "I'm so sorry I messed up our plans today. I was really excited to go out with you."

"I was very excited too... Wait, not so fast, Seaweed Brain! What about _her_?" Wow, she just won't drop that one easily. She just really needed to ask him that question, I guessed.

"Who?" Not now, Percy, I thought to myself. Not the time to play dumb. I think you already knew who she meant.

"The red head. The girl with you today." She was looking at his eyes as if she was trying to determine if he was going to lie to her or not. He did not even look away.

"_Rachel_?... I had been trying to avoid her all morning but she kept following me."

"You mean you're not seeing her then?"

"Jeez, Annabeth. I barely know her." That made her blush again.

"That's great. I mean, I'm glad you made some new friends."

"Hey, are you saying that because you're jealous of her?" Percy had that smirk which seemed to make Annabeth's face turn from red to purple.

"You wouldn't dare, Seaweed Brain!" She said defensively and then turned away before he grabbed her shoulders and made her face him again. She smiled at him at once with that gesture.

"I'm just stating a fact, Wise Girl." She didn't even say a single word of protest. One point for Percy Jackson, I thought.

He held her hand as she let him walk her towards the door. I motioned to them to stay where they were.

"You know what. You guys can stay here while you wait for Percy's mom. Make yourself comfortable. I just need to make a phone call."

I closed the door gently behind me and went to the observation room. I dialed a number on my phone while I looked at them through the one-way mirror. I was tempted to turn on the speakers but decided against it. They seemed to be having a heart-to-heart conversation. They looked so sweet and innocent together. I looked away and turned around to face the other wall.

"Hello?" A familiar voice answered on the other line. I felt my heartbeat skipped a beat or two.

"Oh, hello Mike!"

"Hey, is this Alex?"

"Yup it's me."

"It's been a long while…"

"I know. I hope you didn't forget me."

"That's an understatement, Alex. You know very well you were the one who stopped returning my phone calls and emails."

"What about Claire?" I knew I just couldn't drop that one too.

"I'm not seeing anyone, Alex." I was suddenly smiling to myself now.

"Do you want to meet me for dinner tonight?"

"Awesome! Same place?"

"Sure, around 8?"

"I'll be there waiting as usual Alex."

"Oh, Mike?"

"Yes, Alex?"

"Thanks for being so understanding."

"Hey anytime! That's what best friends are for."

"'Bye Mike. See you at 8 tonight."

"'Bye Alex."

I was grinning ear to ear. I think he'll be thrilled to hear what I have to tell him tonight. I'm now pretty sure that he's been waiting to hear what I have to say for a long time. This time, I know I'm really sure.

I turned around and looked at Percy and Annabeth through the one-way mirror. They're back in a warm embrace again. Their eyes locked into each other. I felt myself blush a little. I took out my recorder and flipped into the last two files. I think Percy and Annabeth don't need any extra help from me after all. They're doing very well on their own. Pretty much way better than I had envisioned. I hit the delete button and erased both files.

I got out and went inside the room where Percy was. The yellow pad was still there on the table. I bent over to pick it up.

I was not surprised at what I saw written on the paper. _Well maybe a little bit surprise_. Who am I kidding? Those two kids certainly deserve each other.

There was only one word that Percy Jackson wrote on that yellow pad paper:

_ANNABETH_.

**THE END**

To all those who took their time to read this story and especially to those who reviewed it, my heartfelt thanks and I hope you enjoyed this little story as much as I enjoyed writing it- ARS. :)


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